Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) is continuing his feud with President Donald Trump, whose administration has failed to release more files from its sex trafficking investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and has led his approval rating to plummet to record lows.
Newsom made a two-pronged mockery of the president on Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter, and began by sharing a screenshot of his Truth Social post from earlier that day, in which Trump baselessly claimed that Coca-Cola would start using “REAL” cane sugar in its sodas.
“Oh thank God!” Newsom wrote on X. “I’ve totally forgotten about the Epstein files now!”
Epstein died in his Manhattan jail cell of an apparent suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death and known ties to prominent figures fueled rumors of a “client list,” which Attorney General Pam Bondi said in February would be released.
Trump’s Justice Department said earlier this month that “no incriminating ‘client list’” or credible evidence of Epstein blackmailing powerful figures was found. He has since openly dismissed the public’s grievances over what many deem a suspicious turn.
The president once ran in the same circles as Epstein, but appeared rather hostile last week when asked if more information about the case would be disclosed. Many voters, including Newsom, appeared to view Trump’s Coca-Cola post as just another distraction.
“Nickelback said it best,” he wrote Wednesday on X for his second dig at Trump.
Newsom shared a doctored version of the band’s “Look At This Photograph” music video, which was edited to include a real image of Trump and Epstein together in 1997, and mocked Trump’s seeming ability to sway people by altering the lyrics to suggest as much.
Trump was sued for copyright infringement in 2019 for using the same meme.
Newsom’s video ended with an X post from right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who wrote in 2019: “RT [retweet] if you believe @realDonaldTrump should order a FULL INVESTIGATION into Epstein’s illegal sexual trafficking from the last 37 years and get answers!”
Kirk said Monday that he’s “done” discussing Epstein and is “gonna trust my friends in the government,” firmly planting himself on one side of the now-bifurcated MAGA movement — half of which believes Trump is doing the right thing by closing the Epstein case.
However, a recent Economist/YouGov survey asked 1,680 Americans who voted for Trump in the 2024 election whether or not they felt the government is covering up evidence it has about Epstein, and 59% said “yes.”
Trump on Wednesday called the rumored client list a “hoax.”